Florida’s traditional pension plan for state workers, teachers, firefighters and other public employees would end for new hires next January under a proposed bill. The new workers would be moved into a 401(k)-type plan after next Jan. 1, Government Operations Chairman Jason Brodeur, R-Sanford, said. Read more from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, the Orlando Sentinel and the Times/Herald.

Two-thirds of mentally ill in Florida go untreated

Nearly two-thirds of the state’s mentally ill go untreated. The lifespan of those with mental illnesses is 25 years shorter than those without psychiatric problems. And, adjusted for inflation and population, the state spends less now on mental health services than it did three decades ago. More from the Palm Beach Post and the News Service of Florida.

U.S. tomato prices could double without Mexico accord

Consumers will pay twice as much for tomatoes if the Obama administration ends a pricing accord with Mexico, according to a study from an American importers group. U.S. growers led by the Florida Tomato Exchange have said the pricing agreement is outdated and ineffective, and ending it will create a free market for trade in tomatoes. More from Bloomberg and Reuters.

Florida justices reject equal wrongdoer defense

The Florida Supreme Court says defendants in contracting cases cannot claim plaintiffs are equal wrongdoers as a common law defense. It was a victory for T&G Corp., a general contractor. T&G and Earth Trades Inc., an unlicensed subcontractor, sued each other for breach of contract in connection with a parking garage project. [Source: AP]

Engineering, medicine and technology are coming together to create advances in medical care, from real-time imaging of tumors in the operating room to a hydrogel used to repair knees, a panel of Johns Hopkins Medicine faculty said Thursday. [Source: Palm Beach Post]

› South Florida hotels finish year with strong December [Miami Herald] Hotels in South Florida reported strong occupancy and rates in December, closing out a year of continued gains. In Miami-Dade, hotels were about 75 percent full in December, an increase of nearly 6 percentage points compared to the previous year.

› Cupcake endeavors prove to be fulfilling in Brevard[Florida Today] They derive their name from the cups or ramekins in which they were baked before the advent of the cupcake (or muffin) tin and their reputation as good business sense from a trend that started in the 1990s and shows no sign of abating.